


What He Wanted

by Newaged_skulls



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prison, Drabble ish?, I really just wanted to write something before the finale tomorrow, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Beta Read, Short & Sweet, Tattooed Kuroo, We Die Like Men, a bit of fluff at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newaged_skulls/pseuds/Newaged_skulls
Summary: “Why didn’t you call the police? Attempt to stop him?”His defender had given him a long spiel on his strategy. In his eyes, Kenma was a kid who got sucked into a bad orbit and couldn’t escape before it was too late. Kuroo was the real villain here, a sociopath, who manipulated the poor innocent kid into killing someone who was hurting him. Someone who could have just as easily gone to prison. Kenma hadn’t wanted the murder to happen. Kenma was just too scared to stop it. Kenma was too scared of Kuroo to do anything.“I didn’t want to.” Kenma replied, burning that strategy up in flames.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Kudos: 46





	What He Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> Open for commissions if anyone is interested

“Why didn’t you call the police? Attempt to stop him?”

The courtroom was quiet, holding its breath for the answer. Kenma sat in the witness block, eyes focusing on the small little tray that held the microphone. The borrowed suit felt suffocating and itchy. He could feel all the eyes on him - the jury, public defender, judge - and wanted to shrink away from them all.

His defender had given him a long spiel on his strategy. In his eyes, Kenma was a kid who got sucked into a bad orbit and couldn’t escape before it was too late. Kuroo was the real villain here, a sociopath, who manipulated the poor innocent kid into killing someone who was hurting him. Someone who could have just as easily gone to prison. Kenma hadn’t wanted the murder to happen. Kenma was just too scared to stop it. Kenma was too scared of Kuroo to do anything.

“I didn’t want to.” Kenma replied, burning that strategy up in flames.

Kenma had never been scared of Kuroo.

_______

They ended up in the same prison after some carefully arranged plea deals. Kuroo had given him crap the entire bus ride about how badly he thought Kenma had screwed up his trial. He didn’t have to be in here with him after all, he could have just blamed Kuroo like Kuroo had planned.

When they settled into their cell block that night though, curled into their bunks like they had at the foster home they met at, Kenma knew that Kuroo was secretly happy that he wasn’t alone here.

_______

Prison really wasn’t that bad. Monotonous for sure but not bad. He missed his video games and the quiet hum of Tokyo at night. It was nice not having to worry about meals though, or where he was going to sleep that night.

He quickly found the book trade and spent his time reading on the edge of the basketball court while Kuroo used his ridiculous height and speed to win match after match. They could recite the usual movies by memory and made up increasingly elaborate conspiracy theories about them. The guards liked them well enough to even let them play an ancient - seriously ancient - nintendo for a few hours on Christmas.

He hadn’t realized a year had passed until they got a slew of new blockmates - Lev, Inuoka, and Yuki - who naturally caused a bit of chaos just by their existence. Lev, in particular, wasted no time in asking prying questions.

“How long do you have left?”

“39 years.”

Lev opens his mouth but Kai quickly takes over the conversation with their plans to use Lev in their block basketball tournament that was coming up. Lev was going to ask what they had done. Kenma would have told the same story he had told everyone else when it had come up.

Kuroo killed someone. He helped. They pleaded out because they were poor orphans who couldn’t afford better lawyers who might have gotten the charges dropped outright. They didn’t deserve to be here. Just like everyone else.

Everytime Kenma looks at Kuroo’s prison tattoo - a sprawling ornate cat designed to hide the bite mark scars underneath - he knows however that they probably do deserve to be here.

He can’t even remember the face after only a year.

______

Since the guards like them, they don’t really pay a lot of mind when Kuroo and Kenma sneak off to a supply closet.

Most days they don’t do anything other than sit in silence enjoying one another’s company.

Some days Kuroo’s hands burn at his waist, his mouth insufferably hot around him as he takes his time turning Kenma into an overstimulated writhing mess. Kenma will return the favor when his brain cells regenerate.

They have nothing but time.

______

When Block N-B decides to go after Block F however, Block N-A finds themselves sucked into a growing war.

They talk out multiple plans to keep their friends safe without putting them at risk as much as possible. Things go smoothly and Daishou falls into most of their smaller traps easily. They get them in enough trouble to communicate the message without sending anyone to max just yet. No one gets hurt. After months, things start to feel like they're calming down.

It’s why Kenma isn’t ready for when Kazuma comes after him during their rec break. It’s why Kenma doesn’t have time to stop Kuroo from getting in the shank’s path. It’s why he has Kuroo’s blood on his hands, leaning hard into his side to keep pressure on the bleeding. It’s why his eyes are hot and there're prisoners' hands ripping him off.

It’s why he grabs the shank on the dirt.

It’s why he ends up face down in the dirt as Kazuma’s blood soaks into it.

It’s why he’s got a knee in his back and cuffs around his wrists. It’s why he has a life sentence now too with a solid self-defense argument being the only thing that keeps him out of max.

______

Over the years basketball games are traded for chess as they can’t jump like they used to. They go through rounds and rounds of peace and war, new meat clashing with old. The older guards are more friends than watch dogs while the new ones look to them with wary reverence.

They don’t bother with appeals when the opportunity presents itself. There’s too much of a chance only one of them would get granted release.

They get the occasional visit and letter from old members of Block N-A. They share hooch with Bokuto and Akaashi from Block F and reminisce on their early days here. They take naps on the field and watch old reruns on the newish TV in the room. They always have a meal and a bed and some crappy new book to share until the binding falls apart.

Kuroo rests his head on Kenma’s lap in their shared cell, black hair mostly gray now. Kenma runs his fingers through it, massaging his scalp as he reads through Akaashi’s latest prison napkin story.

Kenma doesn’t miss the futures that could have been.


End file.
